Words that Tear the Flesh
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Edited by:
Stephen Alan Baragona
and Elizabeth Louise Rambo
About this book
The rhetorical trope of irony is well-trod territory, with books and essays devoted to its use by a wide range of medieval and Renaissance writers, from the Beowulf-poet and Chaucer to Boccaccio and Shakespeare; however, the use of sarcasm, the "flesh tearing" form of irony, in the same literature has seldom been studied at length or in depth. Sarcasm is notoriously difficult to pick out in a written text, since it relies so much on tone of voice and context. This is the first book-length study of medieval and Renaissance sarcasm. Its fourteen essays treat instances in a range of genres, both sacred and secular, and of cultures from Anglo-Saxon to Arabic, where the combination of circumstance and word choice makes it absolutely clear that the speaker, whether a character or a narrator, is being sarcastic. Essays address, among other things, the clues writers give that sarcasm is at work, how it conforms to or deviates from contemporary rhetorical theories, what role it plays in building character or theme, and how sarcasm conforms to the Christian milieu of medieval Europe, and beyond to medieval Arabic literature. The collection thus illuminates a half-hidden but surprisingly common early literary technique for modern readers.
Author / Editor information
Topics
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Alan Baragona and Elizabeth L. Rambo Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed |
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One Translator’s Top 10 List Rick McDonald Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed |
21 |
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Ambiguity and Incitement in Sneglu-Halla þáttr Christopher Abram Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed |
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The Art of the Irish Curse Máire Johnson Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed |
63 |
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Sarcasm in Pre-modern Arabic Literature Jeremy Farrell Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed |
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Brunetto Latini’s Letter to Pavia and Dante’s Monarchia Nicolino Applauso Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed |
119 |
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Laughter, Snark, and Sarcasm in Middle English Romance Debra E. Best Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed |
143 |
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Some Instances of “derision with a certain severity” in Medieval English Literature Brian S. Lee Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed |
165 |
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Affective Reversal as Social Critique in Henryson’s Fables Esther Bernstein Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed |
185 |
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Fabliau Husbands and Wives in Conversation Patricia Sokolski Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed |
205 |
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The Galician-Portuguese cantigas d’escarnho e de mal dizer Ellen Lorraine Friedrich Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed |
225 |
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From the Hildebrandslied to Fortunatus: The Dark Side of Human Behavior Albrecht Classen Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed |
249 |
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John Wyclif and the York Fall of the Angels Play Elza C. Tiner Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed |
271 |
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Personal Feuds and Appropriated Sarcasm Scott O’Neil Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed |
291 |
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Gender Comedy and the Uses of Sarcasm Joe Ricke Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed |
311 |
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